The Delhi Police have arrested four from the group of Indian Youth Congress workers for staging a shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, where the AI Impact Summit 2026 is underway, on Friday.
On Day 5 of the summit, the workers stormed the AI Expo Hall and walked with posters, chanting slogans against the PM Narendra Modi-led government.
Additional CP Devesh Kumar Mahla told ANI, “The incident occurred around 12:30 PM. They registered online and entered through QR code scanning. They were wearing sweaters and jackets on top and a T-shirt underneath. Near Hall 5, they removed their sweaters and jackets. They protested while waving their T-shirts. We are taking appropriate legal action against them."
“One of the detainees is Krishna Hari, 35. He is the National Secretary and a resident of Bihar. The second detainee is Kundan Yadav. He is also from Bihar. The third is Ajay Kumar and the fourth is Narasimha Yadav. He is the National Coordinator of the Indian Youth Congres," said Mahla.
The Delhi Police are filing a First Information Report (FIR) under serious sections, according to top sources.
Top police sources told News18 that prime facie, it appears to be a planned protest. “They had concealed the shirts with posters while entering," they said.
“Police are investigating the larger conspiracy angle. Protesters revealed during interrogation that there was a plan to protest with black umbrellas. They dropped the plan owing to fear of being caught. They then decided to use T-shirts as they could be easily hidden inside jackets," said sources.
Police are investigating where the T-shirts were printed.
In a statement, the Indian Youth Congress said its workers were protesting against a “compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit". “Indian Youth Congress workers raised their voice and protested against the compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit," an official post from Indian Youth Congress said.
Uday Bhanu Chib, National President of the Indian Youth Congress, said, “Our Youth Congress colleagues are Rahul Gandhi’s soldiers. They won’t be intimidated. When there wasn’t an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, the ED case dragged on for so many years. He was summoned for questioning so many times. The BJP can go to any lengths, but we are soldiers of the Constitution, soldiers of Rahul Gandhi. We won’t back down. We will raise our voice for the youth of the country."
The incident comes at a time when hundreds of delegates are in the national capital to participate in the AI Impact Summit 2026, which commenced on February 16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the summit on Thursday, as he shed light on key topics such as child safety, seeking more democratisation of Artificial Intelligence. The Prime Minister called for stronger guardrails to regulate emerging technologies.
Sumit Patni, an eyewitness, told ANI, “As a visitor, I feel this is not the right place to hold such a protest. It gives a bad image to the country. This is not a place for protest, where India is holding an international event and talking about AI. Such a protest should not happen. I was standing at a booth when I heard sloganeering against the honourable PM by some. We understood their intent of the protest was to create a ruckus."
Another attendee NP Gandhi said, “Doing such a thing at a global event is very wrong."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned the incident, describing the protest as “characterless, brainless, and emotionless".
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, wrote on X: “This is CONGRESS ARROGANCE & FRUSTRATION on display! So, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, humiliating India to target the Government is your idea of opposition! While you want to CHOKE India’s development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally. This disruption strategy only exposes your and your party’s lack of vision for India."
In a video message posted on ‘X’, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Congress has once again proven that for them, AI isn’t Ambitious India, Artificial Intelligence, Aspirational India. For them, AI is anti-India. This isn’t the INC, this is the ANC, the anti-National Congress. The AI Summit is being praised worldwide. From President Macron to the United Nations Secretary General, to top tech company honchos, from Sam Altman to Sundar Pichai, everyone is praising it."
“Even Shashi Tharoor said the AI Summit was excellent. But at Rahul Gandhi’s behest, the Congress party is protesting; it is a characterless, brainless, emotionless protest. This isn’t a protest against the BJP, it’s not a protest against the PM, it’s a protest against India’s achievements…" he added.
“At a time when India is hosting a prestigious global AI Summit, showcasing its innovation and leadership in technology, the Congress party chose disruption over dignity. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers went topless and created a ruckus at the venue, an act clearly designed to embarrass India on the world stage. When the nation is striving to position itself as a global technology powerhouse, such conduct only serves the interests of those who wish to see India falter. Political opposition is a democratic right, but sabotaging India’s global image is not," wrote Amit Malviya on X.
National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also slammed the Congress accusing the party of speaking the langauge of Urban Naxals. “Shame on Congress Party. On instructions of Rahul Gandhi they storm the International AI Summit. Anti India Congress. Congress needs to apologise to the nation. Congress behaves like Urban Naxals," he posted on X.
BJP leader Tarun Chugh said, “The crime committed by Congress workers at the international summit as part of a conspiracy to tarnish India’s image is unforgivable. The people of the country will never forgive this… The Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi keeps hatching every despicable conspiracy under the foreign toolkit…"
The protest followed Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attacking the Government on the organisation of the summit and saying, “Instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle – Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased."
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had also alleged mismanagement of the AI Summit, claiming that what could have been a “showpiece" event for India turned into “utter chaos."
Kharge claimed that visitors and exhibitors alike faced “extreme distress" due to a lack of basic facilities such as food and water.
In a post on X, Kharge criticised the government, stating that the summit, which was expected to showcase India’s digital and artificial intelligence capabilities to the world, reportedly witnessed large-scale mismanagement". “What could have been a showpiece AI Summit for the entire world, demonstrating the digital and AI capabilities of India has reportedly turned into utter chaos and rank mismanagement by this ‘PR hungry’ government!" Kharge said.
